Installation for treating at least one fluid and use thereof for the separation of at least one constituent of a gas mixture

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method of use for treating at least one fluid, in a container that holds at least one mass of a particulate material between two perforated walls. Near the upper part of the mass, at least one deflector extends from the first wall towards the second wall. Fluid flows through the walls horizontally, and the deflector is positioned at an angle to this horizontal fluid flow direction. With this particular apparatus configuration, an area close to the second wall and opposite the adjacent end of the deflector is formed, which is generally free of particulate matter; thus, resulting in a more efficient treatment process.

The present invention relates to installations for treating at least one fluid, of the type comprising, in a container, at least one mass of particulate material which is retained between two perforated walls and through which the fluid flows in an approximately horizontal direction, and, near the upper part of the mass, at least one deflecting surface extending from a first of said walls toward the second wall, making an angle with the horizontal flow direction of the fluid.

An installation of this type is disclosed in document FR-A-2 741 823. In the installations disclosed in that document, the volume around the open region for charging with particulate material at the end of the deflecting surface is entirely occupied by the particulate material.

The inventors found that such an installation could be made more effective by providing, according to one feature of the invention, an empty region devoid of particulate material near the second wall, facing the adjacent end of the deflecting surface.

This is because the inventors have found that an empty region of this type promotes passage of the gases at the end of the deflecting surface and thus makes it possible to reduce the time during which these gases are in contact with the particulate material in the upper part of the mass.

The subject of the invention is also the use of such an installation for separating out at least one constituent of a gas mixture, for example for drying or purifying of a gas, and/or for separating out at least one constituent of a gas mixture, especially for purifying a stream of air to be distilled, or for producing oxygen and/or nitrogen from a stream of air.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments given by way of illustration but implying no limitation, in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of an installation according to the invention with an annular mass of particulate material, in two different embodiments in the left-hand and right-hand portions of this installation; and

FIG. 2 is a partial vertical sectional view of another embodiment of the invention.

In the description that follows and in the drawings, identical or similar elements bear the same reference numerals, possibly with exponents.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an absorption device or reactor comprising a vertical container 1 that contains at least one mass 2, which is annular in the embodiment shown, of particulate material, typically of an adsorbent, retained between two concentric perforated walls 3 and 4 defining, in the container 1, an external annular chamber 5 and an internal chamber 6 between which the fluid flows by passing radially through the mass 2.

In the upper region of the adsorbent mass 2, a deflecting surface 7 extends from the region where the outer perforated wall 3 joins the solid linking wall or shell 8 that extends the perforated wall upward to a point close to the dome of the container 1.

According to the invention, a region 9 devoid of particulate material is provided facing the free end of the deflecting surface 7. More specifically, this region 9 is bounded at the top by an annular plate 10 extending approximately horizontally toward the outside from the region where the inner perforated wall joins the solid linking shell 11, the plate 10 extending as far as a point facing the free end of the deflecting surface 7 in order to provide, with this surface, the annular passage 12 for charging the space between the perforated walls 3 and 4 with particulate material, by pouring this particulate material into the container 1 via the top charging openings 13.

As shown in the right-hand part of FIG. 1, the empty space 9 may be obtained by merely the presence of the plate 10, which is advantageously horizontal, through the natural heaping effect produced when filling the volume between the perforated walls 3 and 4.

In order for the empty volume 9 to be controlled more precisely and not to be limited by the natural angle of repose of the particulate material, it will be advantageous for this empty region to be bounded by at least one perforated wall 14 extending between the free end of the plate 10 and the perforated wall 4, as shown in the left-hand part of FIG. 1, in which two concentric annular perforated walls 14 ₁ and 14 ₂ of different lengths extend axially downward from the free-end of the plate 10 and from a central region of the latter, the space 9 then being bounded downward by the natural angle of repose of the particulate material starting from the free ends of the perforated walls 14 ₁ and 14 ₂.

As may be seen in the drawings, the empty region 9 alone is devoid of particulate material near the free end of the deflecting surface 7, which surface remains embedded in the particulate material beneath the reserve 15 of particulate material that isolates the active portion 2 and allow the filling of said portion to be topped up while the material settles during use.

Modifications and variants may be introduced within the context of the claims below. Thus, in a variant of the embodiment of FIG. 2, annular walls 14 _(i) may be placed “in staircase fashion”, spaced apart radially, starting from the inner wall 14, via horizontal annular supports that join the bottom of the upstream wall to the top of the following downstream wall.

In the case of an installation comprising two adjacent beds of particulate materials, for example beds of alumina and of zeolite, which are separated by an intermediate perforated wall, it is possible to combine a pair of arrangements according to the variants described above in the two beds. 

1-8. (canceled)
 9. An apparatus for treating at least one fluid comprising a container, wherein said container comprises: a) a first and a second perforated wall, wherein said fluid flows substantially horizontally through said walls; b) at least one mass of particulate matter, wherein said mass is retained between said first and said second walls; and c) at least one deflecting surface, wherein said deflecting surface: 1) extends from said first wall toward said second wall; and 2) is located at an angle with said horizontal flow of said fluid such that a region without said particulate matter is created near to said second wall and the adjacent end of said deflecting surface.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said region is bounded at the top by a second surface, wherein said second surface extends from said second wall toward said adjacent end of said deflecting surface.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said second surface is substantially horizontal.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said region is bounded laterally by at least one said wall.
 13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said first and said second walls further comprise concentric annular walls.
 14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said particulate matter comprises at least one adsorbent.
 15. A method of separating at least one member of a fluid mixture comprising treating said fluid mixture with an apparatus, wherein said apparatus comprises: a) a first and a second perforated wall, wherein said fluid flows substantially horizontally through said walls; b) at least one mass of particulate matter, wherein said mass is retained between said first and said second walls; and c) at least one deflecting surface, wherein said deflecting surface: 1) extends from said first wall toward said second wall; and 2) is located at an angle with said horizontal flow of said fluid such that a region without said particulate matter is created near to said second wall and the adjacent end of said deflecting surface.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein said fluid mixture comprises air.
 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said region is bounded at the top by a second surface, wherein said second surface extends from said second wall toward said adjacent end of said deflecting surface.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said second surface is substantially horizontal.
 19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said region is bounded laterally by at least one said wall.
 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said first and said second walls further comprise concentric annular walls.
 21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said particulate matter comprises at least one adsorbent.
 22. A method of separating at least one member of a fluid mixture comprising treating said fluid mixture with an apparatus, wherein said fluid mixture comprises air, and wherein said apparatus comprises: a) a first and a second perforated wall, wherein said fluid flows substantially horizontally through said walls; b) at least one mass of particulate matter, wherein said mass is retained between said first and said second walls, and wherein said particulate matter comprises at least one adsorbent; and c) at least one deflecting surface, wherein said deflecting surface: 1) extends from said first wall toward said second wall; and 2) is located at an angle with said first wall such that a region without said particulate matter is created near to said second wall and the adjacent end of said deflecting surface. 